MORGANTOWN – Excelsior Bottom's most-famous son, retired Maj. Gen. Kenneth D. Gray, says he's honored to have received the American Bar Association's 2018 Spirit of Excellence Award and observed the military has a way to go toward gender and racial inclusivity.
"I was honored to be the first African-American Judge Advocate General selected in the active Army since its inception in 1775," Gray told The West Virginia Record in an email interview. "However, it was an honor that I had hoped would be short-lived. Unfortunately, that has not been the reality. While a woman has served as the Judge Advocate General of the Army, and an African-American general officer selected in the Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps, I still have the distinction of being the only active Army general officer. I have been prepared to lose the 'first and only' distinction for over 20 years."
The West Virginia University College of law alumnus was the first African-American general in the history of the Army Judge Advocate General Corps and has had a long and distinguished legal career in the military.
Retired Major General Kenneth D. Gray
| Photo courtesy West Virginia University
"In my opinion, it is the best law practice for any young lawyer," he said. "The experience and responsibility a military lawyer receives is second to none. It prepares lawyers to do any job requiring legal or leadership skills whether the officer stays for a short or long career in the military."
The American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession announced last fall that Gray would receive the 2018 Spirit of Excellence Award, citing the McDowell County native's "commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession." Gray received the award on Feb. 3 during a ceremony at the American Bar Association's midyear meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
During his remarks at the gathering after he received the award, Gray recalled that his "journey has been a long one," growing up in Excelsior Bottom in West Virginia's southern-most county, on the border with Virginia, the grandson of a Baptist minister and the son of a coal miner.
"And my mother was a homemaker, who later returned to college to get her teaching degree when my father was laid off from his coal mining job after 18 years of being in the mines, two years short of getting his pension," Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver. "My family wanted me to have a life beyond the coal fields and they made it clear that education would open doors to new worlds."
In school, Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver that his teachers "also stressed the importance of a college education" in a time of fewer opportunities for African-Americans.
"They served as role models for African-American students in a school system that remained segregated in McDowell County for 10 years after Brown v. Board of Education desegregated the schools," Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver. "Today, there are those who want to take us back to that time in our country. And I want to applaud the great work of the commission, the ABA and all of you out there in the audience who are continuing to fight to make sure that doesn't happen."
Gray went on to graduate from high school and then went on to become part of West Virginia University's College of Law in 1969, picking up his ROTC commission along the way from West Virginia State College. While at WVU, he was the only African-American student for three years and was the third to graduate from the College of Law, Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver.
"But I will tell you, that was a safe haven for me and my wife," he said. "And it really proved to be the foundation that provided success for us as we moved on to military officers, judge advocate offices, where we were the only African-Americans. We were able to assimilate easily because of the experiences that we had in law school."
After a tour in Vietnam, Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver that he was asked to recruit minorities and women for the Army Judge Advocate General Corps at a time when there were eight women and 16 African-American lawyers out of about 1,600.
"Today, we're about 6.7 percent African-Americans and 28 percent women out of 1,850," he said. "But I will say that the glass ceiling for women has been shattered."
Through it all, Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver that he remained mindful of where he came from.
"I know that I stand on the shoulders of so many who came before me," he said. "Many who did not have the opportunity to achieve the success that I was able to achieve. They actually paved the way for my journey, by the challenges, sacrifices and obstacles that they had to overcome."
Recalling his origins gave him strength enough to overcome his own obstacles, Gray said during his remarks in Vancouver. "I was able to draw strength by looking back to Excelsior Bottom, West Virginia, and what my parents and teachers taught me about the difference between right and wrong and the importance of doing what's right," he said.
"I looked back to the ROTC cadre at West Virginia State College, where they taught me the professional ethic of being a soldier. And I looked back to the law school professors at West Virginia University who taught me about the professional responsibility that's required of a lawyer. And, finally, as an old soldier, I want to ask you to do something for me. I'll ask you to remember the men and women and families who serve today."
Gray repeated those sentiments during the conclusion of his more recent West Virginia Record interview. "My education at West Virginia State University and the College of Law at WVU prepared me to meet and overcome the challenges and obstacles I faced during my career," he said.
"My message to students today is to not underestimate the value of the education they are receiving in our West Virginia colleges and universities because that education will be the foundation for their success in the future."
